On 2 April 2013, the 19th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Consultation was held in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China. H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand co-chaired the meeting with H.E. Mr. Zhang Yesui, Vice Foreign Minister of China.
The Senior Officials exchanged in depth views on various issues in ASEAN-China relations, and agreed that throughout the years, ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership has served as a key pillar of regional peace, stability and prosperity. They also discussed how to further expand and strengthen the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for mutual benefits as this year marks the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership as well as laid groundwork for the upcoming ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with China in June and the 16th ASEAN-China Summit in October this year.
The Senior Officials reaffirmed that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is very important for all countries in the region. In line with the ASEAN-China Joint Statement of the 15th ASEAN-China Summit on the 10th Anniversary of the DOC adopted in Cambodia in 2012, the Senior Officials agreed to uphold commitments on the implementation of the DOC in a full and effective manner, while enhancing the importance of the adoption of the COC. Thailand will host the 20th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Consultation in March 2014.
